Roger C. Cudney (June 22, 1936 – July 5, 2021) was an American actor and singer, long based in Mexico.
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Life and career
Cudney was born in Cleveland, Ohio in 1936. He first arrived in Mexico City in the 1960s in the cast of the touring musical Show Boat. He worked for CBS as a radio announcer covering the 1968 Summer Olympics, and later the Acapulco Film Festival.
Cudney was known for starring in numerous Mexican films and telenovelas in which he often portrayed authoritarian characters or other villains. In 2003, The Wall Street Journal described his career playing 'unpopular gringos', writing:Some Mexicans know him as a plunderer of ancient archaeological treasures. Others remember him as the union-busting manager of a sweatshop. Still others recognize Mr. Cudney as a pathologically nasty Texas ranger or a meddling diplomat.... "Roger Cudney is the epitome of the bad gringo, a blending of all the worst American stereotypes," says David Wilt, who compiled the Biographical Dictionary of Mexican Film Performers.
Cudney also had parts in mainstream Hollywood films shot in Mexico, including a co-starring role opposite Charles Bronson in The Evil That Men Do, Total Recall, Rambo: First Blood Part II, the James Bond film Licence to Kill, Julia, Perdita Durango and Original Sin. He portrayed the part of the United States Ambassador to Mexico in La dictadura perfecta.
Personal life
Cudney was married to Eloisa Bueno, with three sons and one daughter. He was a longtime resident of Interlomas.
Death
Cudney died in Mexico City on July 5, 2021, of a heart attack following a car accident. His final film, The Containment, was released three years after his death in 2024.
